They Say It's My Birthday!

I'm really not a big Birthday person (although I do think that everyone should get their Birthday off from work, it's a personal holiday!), but I will celebrate today in honor of my parents. Because obviously, if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be having a birthday!

I've put my parents have been through so much during the last 20+ years and I really should thank them every day for all they've done for me. My mom just reminded me that when I was born, it was such a cold Spring that they took me home in my sister's snowsuit! Today it will be almost 80 degrees and tomorrow close to 90! (Global warming?!) I wasn't a troublemaker and I didn't rebel as a teenager, but I was definitely high maintenance. They have encouraged and supported me throughout the years in many endeavours. They have been by my side through exciting times, stressful times, and pretty scary times too. No matter what comes my way, they are there for me, and now my husband, too, and I know they always will be. I can say with 100% confidence that they certainly take this parenting thing seriously!

I love you Mom & Dad! Thanks for everything!

Okay, enough with the sappy stuff!

Last night I tried something new for dinner. I mentioned Wednesday that I picked up a package of Italian Style Sweet Chicken Sausages from Trader Joe's. I never buy stuff like this, but the ingredients were very simple and the nutrition label looked pretty good (although the sodium is a bit high) plus, I wanted to do something a little different and warm weather always makes me think of grilling! We don't have a grill, but we do have a grill pan! I found a long pretzel roll/loaf at a local grocery store yesterday and thought it would be interesting twist rather than regular hot dog rolls! It was definitely a hit with Woody. Well, the whole dinner was, actually.

Chicken sausage on a pretzel roll with sweet potato 'chips' and asparagus (fresh from the farmers market!). I did also get a red pepper spread with eggplant and garlic to go on the sausages instead of ketchup and mustard, but I wasn't so thrilled with it. Woody used it on the sausage, but I opted to a little bit with the asparagus.

No Phone Zone Day
Have you heard about this? It's a campaign started by Oprah to get people to turn off their phones while driving. We're all busy and connected 24/7, but driving while talking on the phone, and worse, texting or emailing is incredibly dangerous - as much as, if not more than - driving drunk! According to Oprah.com, Nearly 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 are killed each year because drivers are talking, texting and e-mailing behind the wheel. That's insane and completely preventable. What's really scary to me, is that it will probably only get worse as more kids, who have grown up with a phone practically attached to their hands, start to drive. If parents aren't setting a good example, the kids are more likely to do it too. This really is something that needs to be paid attention to. As runners, we always have to be on the look out for possible dangers while running - whether it's a pothole in a sidewalk or road, loose dogs, other runners, bikers, and especially drivers. Distracted drivers can be a big problem for us! Check out Oprah.com for more information about the No Phone Zone campaign and sign her pledge while you're there.

If you have a car, do you find it hard to put your phone down?
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Workout Stats -
16mi bike
3x10 hammer curls
3x10 bicep curls
3x10 side arm lifts
3x10 single arm row (each arm)
2x hundred
stretching & foam roller